Blowtorch with vertical retort



Nov. 18, 1947. l.. J. vcil-:MINSKI BLOWTORCH WITH VERTICAL RETORT Filed Aug. '7, 1944 mm .1+ y M ma J W @we m Izl LAUT Lw r J of@ y o uw 0 J, v a,

5 Z Il M6@ ww ,W a JWQV m y W w Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in hydrocarbon fuel furnaces. More particularly, it pertains to a hydrocarbon fuel pressure tank furnace construction, of the blow torch type, and includes correlated improvements and discoveries involving a novel arrangement -of structure whereby the operation of such a device is considerably enhanced.

In conventional furnaces, or blow torches of this type, operators have been nding it increasingly diflicult to keep the burner unit clean. Particularly is this true because of the fact that the most available and popular type of fuel in use today, namely, gasoline, now contains, with few exceptions, an anti-knock substance, such as tetraethyl lead. Such fuels are conducive to clogging the orifice in the burner head of the burner unit, and especially that section of pipe leading from the fuel supply conduit which is utilized to vaporize the fuel entering the burner head. "f

When such burners and pipes become clogged, ineiiiciency and often failure in operation results and it is necessary to dismantle the burner for cleaning purposes or, as in the case of the vaporizing members which heretofore have been coiled or otherwise tortuously wound, to discard them entirely.

It would be a distinct advantage to be able to clean such members as the burner head quickly and automatically whether or not the device is in operation, as well as to maintain the vaporizers in a clean and eihcient operating condition by so constructing and arranging them with respect to the burner as to make replacement and cleaning easy and simple without discarding them after normal periods of use, and this can be accomplished by means of the present invention.

Generally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a burner unit for a blow torch which is simple, yet sturdy and durable as well as economic of construction and operation, and which will operate with relative freedom from wear and tear and other mechanical difficulties and disadvantages.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a hydrocarbon fuel pressure tank furnace construction, of the blow torch type, with aburner unit preferably suspended above the tank from an upwardly directed fuel supply conduit communicating therewith, the unit comprising a downwardly directed fuel vaporizing member with a burner head secured to the lower end of the vaporizing member and a combined fuel and clean-out control valve cooperatively associated with the burner head.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide, in a hydrocarbon fuel pressure tank furnace construction of the blow torch type, a burner unit suspended above the tank from an upwardly directed fuel supply conduit, the unit including a downwardly directed fuel vaporizing member disposed in a substantially vertical position with an offset burner head secured to the lower end of the vaporizing member with a fuel control valve disposed within the offset portion of the burner head, and a protective burner shell carried by the offset burner head and surrounding the vaporizing member to protect and to confine the flame emanating from the burner head to a restricted area encompassingly to heat the vaporizing member.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a furnace construction of the blow torch type, of a burner head which has disposed therein a combination fuel control valve and cleanout member comprising a control valve needle and an endwise extension on the needle aligned with a fuel orifice in the burner head and cooperatively associated therewith in a manner whereby the orifice can be kept clean and unobstructed' upon opening and closing the control valve.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplied in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing, by way of illustration, a blow torch, such as a plumbers furnace, equipped with a burner unit embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational View, with parts broken away, illustrating an actual size burner unit of the kind utilized in a furnace such as that depicted in Fig, 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken along the line 3-3 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

there is indicated generally at I a conventional type of fuel furnace having a pressure tank II Which can be filled through a ller cap I2 with a suitable hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline. The pressure in the tank II is maintainedby a conventional type of pump I3 to force the fuel upwardly into a fuel supply conduit I4 controlled by a valve I5.

A burner unit indicated generally at I6 is suspended above thee tankk II from the fuel, supply pipe I4. The burner unit I6 comprises a downwardly directed fuel vaporizing member, or pipe, Il, which preferably is disposed in a substantially vertical position. Thisipipe*preferably,'is'A equipped with a fuel baille, or agitating member,

I8, which preferably is in the form of aftortu'- ously gathered Wire. the vaporizing characteristic of the pipe Il and makes cleaning thereof more facile as will morefully appear hereinafter.

At its upper end the vaporizer` IIisain communication with the upwardly'directed fuel supply pipe i4 by means ofa connectingnpipe- I9 which also contains a tortuously wound wire, :20, similar tov that illustrated `at IB-'in' the vaporizer'pipell.

At its lower endthe vaporizer'pipe. I-'I isfscrewthreaded to a burner head 2'I. The particular burner head illustrated has an offset portion "22. Within the offset portiony is disposed' a hydrocarbon fuel flow control needle valve `2'3 which is screw-threaded into an extension .'24 of the'of'set portion of the burner head. The burner head is equipped with a removable'vallvefmember 25ihaving a burner orifice' 26. The needlevalve `23 has anvendwise extension 21 which-isa'dapted to pass through the burner orice 26-when l`the-needle control valve is operated by mean-s of `th'efhand wheel 28, A hydrocarbon fue1- passageway :29' in the burner'head 2| connectsthe vaporizer'pipe I'l With a fuel chamber 39 in-thefoflset :portion of the burner head.

A burner shellfl is: carried by the-burner head preferably by being secured toitltre;y extension '24 by means of a suitable lock washer32. 'It will .be observed that thev` burner :head surroundsjthef-va'- porizing pipev to protect 'and'to conne thev flame which emanates from the burner head toa re. stricted area and to direct the `heat in such a manner as to encompass' the vaporizin'g'pipa Preferably, the vaporizingl pipe IeXtendsalong one inner wall of the shell 3 I=. VBeing closed at its bottom, the shell provides apri'ming'cup having primary air inlets 33 extending-aboveY the same. Preferably the shell is `cylindrical in'fcontour and is flared inwardly at the top to provi-deaconstricted outlet 34' adjacent the zone of combustion. The size of the opening' oroutlet Skis so chosen, for example, that it controls the amount of air passing through theprimary air inlets '33" and this tends to control the zone of combustionfor optimum operating eiiiciency with respect to the vaporizing member.

Depending from the'bottom ofthe `shell 3i are two lugs 35 and 36 which'serve to Protect the control valve after it has been set for' a particular operation. These projections serve to` prevent the valveV from accidentally beingturned so as to change the rate of fuel flowing into the valve chamber Si) whereby the flame of the 'torch is kept constant, and also serve to protect the valve control portions from being broken or'bent through rough usage.

Such a burner unit has many advantages, such as, the particular vaporizer structure and the fuel control and clean-out valve associated therewith This wire servesto enhance Ytime the torch is in use. ;structfonoflfthisltype of valve, as well as the by means of the particular burner head as illustrated. For example, when foreign matter accumulates in and around the burner orifice 2S, due either to carbon, dirt or the type of gasoline used, as the tetraethyl lead heretofore mentioned, it is but necessary to move the valve stem 32 in an endwise direction so that the endwise extension 21 on the Valve needle 23 will pass into and out` of the orifice, thereby cleaning the same. The foreignamatter .will be4 ejectedV outwardly of the burner head and the operation of this type of .combination valve can be performed during the The simplicity in conburner head, is a further advantage which should "be taken into consideration because of its ease of.-assembly"asyoceasion may require. A further distinct and primary advantage lies in the sin plifiedfstructure of the vaporizing arrangement and its associated parts. For example, the vap'oriaer pipe isnot'of the coiled" typeand can readily be unscrewe'd from-position so thaty carbon and other foreign materials Awhich have accumulated therein caneasily be` removed therefrom. It is not necessary to discardsuchyaporizer pipes and they can 'be re-used'.'

lt is important` also 'that`such1a vaporizer can be zbrought down into the burner shell without difficulty where it-liesadjacent'the interior wall so that vaporization 'is vreadily effected 'because of' the vclose proximity o'fthe burner'flame` and the reflected heat againstthe'i'nner wall. Such an arrangement makes' it` unnecessary to use the cumbersome coil' or otherwise torti'ousl'y wound arrangements-"of Vconvention-al' devices heretofore disp'osedlat remote'places 'from the burner flame. The straight-pipe'is particularlyadapted'for the use -ofA ba'iee oragitator means such'as the wires I8 `and 2U Yiny the pipes Il and i9` respectively. These wires serve'not only to break up the stream of 'fuel coming 'from the; fuel -su'pply pipe I-ffl 'but aid in'vaporizationbecause they-collect and' hold additional heat. Also,` they can readily be removed and cleaned and in doing so carbon and otherA accumulated matter issimultaneously .removed. These Wires can also readily be replaced and re-used from time to time.

It will thus be fseen that the objects hereinbefo're set forth mayk readily and eihciently be attained and since certain changes may be made inthe above described construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the yscope thereof, it is intended that all matter `contained vin the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shal'l'be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sensel Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire lto secure by Letters Patent is:

In a hydrocarbon fuel pressure vtank furnace construction of the character described, the imprei/ement which comprises a burner unit disposed above said tank and connected to an upwardly directed fuel supply conduit communicating therewith, said'unit comprising a downwardly directed fuel vaporizing member dispose in a substantially vertical position, an offset burner head secured to the lower end of said vaporizing member, said offset burner head having an extension which is perpendicular to said Vaporizing member, a fuel control valve substantially vertically disposed within the extension offset portion of vsaid burner head, and a protective burner shell carried `by said oset burner head and surrounding said vaporizing member to protect and to confine the name emanating from said burner head to a restricted area to heat said vaporizing member, said valve having a clean-out member comprising a control valve needle and an endwise extension on said needle aligned with a fuel chamber and a fuel burner orice in the burner head and adapted to penetrate said burner head whereby said orice and chamber can be kept clean and unobstructed upon continuous operation of said apparatus, and a plurality of oppositely disposed ngers extending from the bottom of said shell to shield the fuel control Valve against injury and to maintain its regulated operating position and to permit ready access to the valve control further to regulate the same and clean the valve opening While the device is in operation.

LEO J. CIEMINSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

